Dethronement

by cajunbrony25

Chapter 1

Thunder boomed in the distance as soldiers from the conquering army ran the innocent ponies out from their homes. Foals were shown no mercy as prisoners were taken to Canterlot castle. In the throne room, statues of the mane six stood shellshocked, each still wearing their elements of harmony.

Another Alicorn, foreign to the celestial throne, lounged across its frame, befouling the ancient symbol of light and hope with his dark, shadowy form. “ Ahh...” The creature spoke, “The once glorious city of Canterlot... devoured by flame! ‘Tis a glorious evening, indeed.” He sighed, content with his accomplishment as he levitated a glass of cider to his lips. “It’s good to rule over a kingdom with a hoof of steel... and even more to mock those who once ruled it.” With two claps of his hooves one of his guards came to him and stood at attrition, standing perfectly straight, legs together.

“Bring me the nephew of the princess, I wish to speak to him.” The guard gave him a salute as he turned and went to the brig.

The once proud castle had been reduced to a slander of its former glory, much of the artwork had been taken away, stolen by the few guards of the Celestial and Lunar princess’s who had ordered them to flee, leaving Landcastra with a little way in pillaging the royal glamour. This of course was trifle to the prize of both princess and most of their charging in the dungeon of the castle as Imperial banners of the dictator were now present along the great walls. As the guard passed the windows, the city outside showed a different story of the diabolical nature of this mad stallion; ponies were being executed, fillies and colts alike. Those who were strong were being sent to work camps, while others, like the sick and elderly, were sent to the infirmary for unknown experimentation.

Twisted minds brought twisted desires as the armoured guard moved unphased through the charred and ruined halls, seeing his brethren going about their own duties. As he arrived at the brig, walking down rows of cells holding various ponies for whatever means the dictator had for them. At the end of the hall was a right turn that lead to a single, large cell. Inside were four ponies, Celestia, Prince Blueblood, Luna, and Cadence who was crying over the death of her husband,Shining Armor, and kidnaping of her daughter. “Prince Blueblood,” the guard glanced at Blueblood and said, “Sir Landcastra has requested your presence, come with me.” He unlocked the cell door and guided the prince out of the cell, with restraints on his hooves.

“EW, whatever it takes, to leave this… dusty cell.” As they left the cell returning back to the throne room, Blueblood kept his nose up in the air, taking no notice of what the guard had passed on his way to the brig. Finally, the guard arrived to the throne room with the white stallion in tow. “Sir, Prince Blueblood as you requested.” Sir, Landcastra waved his hoof and dismissed his guard. After the guard left, he looked blueblood over. Blueblood rolled his eyes,

“Why have you called me here?” he asked. Landcastra just laughed and said “To offer something you have wanted for a long, long time Blueblood.” His voice, flamboyant and diabolical, was nearly similar to Blueblood's, which the Prince liked; anything imaged after himself was always a plus for him, “What do you speak of? I have everything I want. I am the princess’ nephew after all.” He said his nose still high up in the air. Landcastra laughed again.

“I know you’re in pain Blueblood. How your dear aunt Celestia humiliated you, how your reputation was ruined, and you aunt did nothing about it. Poor, poor Blueblood.” He circled around the prince slowly as he said all this. Blueblood started sweating a little.

“I…I have no idea what you are talking about. My auntie Celestia loves me; she wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.” He argued. Landcastra just kept laughing. Finally he stopped in front of Blueblood and peered into his eyes.

“Come now, you can’t possibly think how she ignores you, how she doesn’t even bother to invite you to the gala anymore, is just tough love? No…No Blueblood. Its resentment, and hate, she sees you as a fool, a mockery.” Blueblood was fixated on his gaze. “Now… Unlike your aunt, I think you hold great potential, great leadership, and I want you to lead all of Equestria with me, as my second hoof.” Blueblood stood in utter shock of hearing this.
“H-How do you know all this? What you speak is the truth…but it had been known to only the royal family.” Blueblood was trembling in his horseshoes.

“Blueblood, I know a lot about you, you mother and your aunt Celestia. Cadence…well I can break her soon enough.” He chuckled in a evil way. “If you want anypony to respect you…I would listen to me.” The Prince was buying every word
“Yes…Yes I want Equestria to pay for how they laughed at me…Let me rule them…I want them to suffer!” Landcastra chuckled as he drew a grim smirk in slight distaste of this cowardly stallions attempt to stay.

“Good Blueblood, good. Now I will set one condition, however, and if you want any power whatsoever, then you will meet it right this very moment… Dyavol! Come here, please.”
Landcastra clapped his hooves together as sudden great thuds signaled the entry of a massive creature. Finally, a massive diamond dog, far larger than any others witnessed before it, slowly made its way out of the shadows of the hallway and into the throne room.

“WHAT MASTER WANT WITH DYAVOL?”

“Bring me the Princess of the Sun.”

Snarling and growling, Dyavol finally nodded and replied with with a smirk “Yeah, we get you what want.” He turned out of the room and went back to the brig, as he passed by all the rooms hallways and corridors ponies would stare in awe at the hulking beasts size. When he arrived at the cell he pointed to Celestia and said,

“YOU, SUN PONY, COME WITH DYAVOL!”
The Sun Princess only shook her head in defiance. Dyavol did not like that. He let out a powerful roar and charged into the cell.
“YOU GO WITH DYAVOL NOW!!” Celestia thought she could take him, with the help of her sister, but as she stood to fight him, he towered above her, snarling at her in pure anger. Luna, however, was prepared to fight; she took a stand before her sisters assailant.

“You will not dare lay a claw on our Sister’s fair mane! Harm her in any way, then you shall feel the ferocity of my hate. Thou would be wise to back down and leave me and my sister alone-.” She didn’t get to finish.
The diamond dog took a single swat at Luna’s frame, sending her straight into the side wall as the Great Dyavol laughed,

“YOU NOTHING TO DYAVOL! DYAVOL CRUSH MOON PONY TO DUST!!” he continued to laugh as Luna recovered quickly and charged at him, only be meet with a punch to the face, sending her flying across the cell and smashing against the back wall once more. Dyavol laughed, clutching his paws onto his chest

“MOON PONY SO SMALL, DYAVOL TOO STRONG FOR TINY LITTLE MOON PONY!!” He turned to Celestia and picked her up, frozen in fear of what she just witnessed, as the diamond dog swung her over his boulder-like shoulder and turned swiftly to bring her back to his master.
Passing through the same hallways he had come before to a chorus of prisoner’s terrified gasps and the guard’s cheers, he arrived back to the throne room and dropped her in front of Landcastra.

The stallion had a smug glare for the white mare as he cracked a wicked grin, immediately noticing her crushed spirit.
“Leave us.” He ordered the beast, who obeyed and left the room. He grinned at Celestia and said, “I hope you are ready Sun Princess… I do have something special in store for you.”
Celestia looked up at him, “You won’t get away with this…the elements—“

“The elements are dead.” Celestia only gasped, “You monster! Is this why you had me brought here, to show me you killed my students?” Landcastra shook his head slowly, giving a menacing cackle to any comforting laugh a stallion of his stature would need to ever bare.

“No… I brought you here for this.” He gestured to Blueblood, as he approached his aunt, “Blueblood, this is your condition. Hit her… Make her bleed. Make her lose teeth… Let her feel the pain she made you feel at her hooves.” He laughed loudly, lounging deeper into his new throne. Blueblood slowly raised a hoof ready to make the first strike. Celestia looked at him.

“Blueblood...what are you doing?” Celestia stammered, her eyes wide with not just uncertainty, but utter disbelief that she was now to be set upon by her own relative, “You cannot listen to this stallion, he will bring you nothing but loss.” The Prince only smirked, passing his gaze away from his aunt, almost in a defiant manner.

“You would try to cast away my desires, as you have in the past. I’m merely righting the wrongs committed against me.” He brought his hoof down, back hoofing his aunt and knocking her crown off.

“You have been nothing but a thorn in my side. You, given all the glory, as I am left with nothing but coppers and, since discovering the truth of your… sickening methods of ruling an empire, I have seen the futility of your so-called ‘truths’. I see how an empire should be ruled. That is my vision of prosperity. The vision of Landcastra!” He brought his hoof to her face, intent on destroying her, his maniacal grin growing more sinister with each drop of blood he drew.

Prince Blueblood beat her to exhaustion. For the many years he had to stay in the shadows, ridiculed by the court, and then, to be humiliated by that wretched white mare of the Elements of Harmony. He would no longer burden himself with them, no longer see himself less than them; he would be stronger, he’d be willing and able to side with the stallion who had offered him what he always wanted as he threw one last hoof. It impacted hard, and as it slammed into the mare’s jaw a tooth flew from her maw, clattering to the bottom of the throne-room steps.

“You are nothing but a fool...” Blueblood muttered , “Auntie... I shall not be under you any longer.” Landcastra’s laugh echoed throughout the room before he glanced to Blueblood.

“Good, Blueblood… Good… Now that you have meet my condition, I can bestow the power I promised.” he smirked, casting his magical embrace on a rather eloquent necklace as it slowly draped itself around the Prince’s neck, it’s design a tribute to the dictator he served. The Imperial symbol of ‘I’ crested atop a shield with a single diamond in the center, its ruby-red glint glowed gently as Bluebloods eyes held a glimmer of its own reflection.

“Thank you, Sir! I shall rule with the utmost dedication to your service.” he said and slowly turned, trotting off with a slight muttering and delight of his newfound powers as Landcastra smirked.

“Guards… Leave us....” the dictator said as he slowly rose, watching the few red armour-clad guards leave the throne room as he slowly proceeded towards Celestia, his horn brilliant with his dark magic as the very floor suddenly began to shift and collapse around Celestia, crushing it into a space that only grew more and more cramped, Celestia’s face a mess of blood and hoof marks as the stallion grinned.
Despite the torment, he could still see the small spark of defiance in her eyes as she said no word, her horn inhibiting her own magic as she just watched the stallion as he prowled over to her trapped form.
“Well well, the once mighty Celestia reduced to nothing but a shadow of what she used to be, a pathetic mess barely suited to live in this world, let alone rule over a country. Such a shame that the grand Princess has come to this.” he laughed, spitting in her eye. She only moved her head away in defiance as the stallion gripped it and forced her glare to his furious stare.
“Tsk tsk, thinking your petty shows of ‘force’” He laughed the word as if it was a joke, ”mean anything to a power such as mine? You really are pathetic.”

“You will not succeed, good shall prevail against you!”

“How cliche of you, Princess, I honestly expected better from you.” The stallion just laughed “You will not see good wining here, my dear,” he mocked, “Only the end of your reign and the rise of my own.” He smirked as magical chains suddenly gripped the princess into place.

“Soon, your defiance shall end, and my power shall ever grow with the strength of all those who shall bow under me.”

“I know you won’t let me kill you without a fight, but doesn’t that make it all the more fun?” he growled, baring his teeth in an anticipatory smile, “And now you get to watch as I do the same to your sister. Bring me the Princess of the Moon!”
A red armoured guard nodded, “Sir!”, giving a salute before leaving for the dungeons.

“What...what do you plan on doing?” Celestia forced the words from her bloody mouth as she looked at Landcastra.

“You shall see...” he said, his manic smile never leaving his face. A commotion at the door broke the silence as the guard dragged in Luna, her shackles rattling on the marble floor as the guard discarded her next to her sister. Celestia barely noticed, choosing instead to continue her best attempt to pierce Landcastra with her glare. A glare Landcastra didn’t seem to even notice.

The guard returned to his post as Luna righted herself with a struggle, taking note of her surroundings with a glare that only deepened at the sight of Celestia’s bloody yet defiant form.
She fixed Landcastra with the same glare, “Thou art beginning to anger me, keep this up and We shall not hold back the power of the moon upon thee!” her diminished and bound figure only made the threat comical. Landcastra laughed.

“Dyavol!” He clapped his hooves together as the sudden thud of something large signaled the entry of a massive creature, emerged from the far corner of the hallway leading to the throne room. A massive diamond dog, far larger than any others witnessed before it slowly made it’s way over to Luna. With a smirk, he looked down at her.

“WHAT MASTER WANT WITH DYAVOL?”
Again a pounding approached the door until the towering diamond dog entered the room and snorted at him.
Landcastra pointed to Luna.

“TINY MOON PONY? WHAT MASTER WANT WITH HER?!” Dyavol asked. Landcastra let out a sinister chuckle as he shot a glance to Celestia, turn turned back, pausing for a second as a sadistic grin passed his lips.

“Kill her.”

Dyavol’s maw twisted into a vile grin as possibilities and fantasies crossed his eyes, almost visible to Luna as he approached her. Luna struggled against her bindings as they cut deep marks into her fetlock, before settling for taking the closest thing she could to a defensive stance, her head lowered and hooves as far apart as her shackles would allow. Her wings struggled against their restraints.
Dyavol only laughed, seeing the ‘little moon pony’ squirm in place as he clenched his paws into fists and raised them up to smash Luna’s head into pulp.

“DYAVOL MAKE SLOW AND PAINFUL!” he barked as he prepared to slam down his mighty fists.
In a sudden flash, the jewel that restrained Luna’s magic shattered, Luna’s eyes glowed with strength, and she let out a shockwave of magic, knocking everypony in the room back, causing even the mighty Dyavol to back away, shielding his eyes from the light.

“N-NOOO....B-BURNS!”.
Luna kept her focus, she had pumped all of her magic into this one spell as she illuminated the room brightly. Everypony averted their gaze as Celestia could only look on. Luna was about to turn and aid her sister when the elder mare shook her head.

“Luna, you must run, you must find help! Find those who can fight against him! GO! RUN!” she called as Luna looked towards Celestia.
“Tia...” was all she could say before she ran out of the room as Landcastra growled and shouted,
“Seize her! Don’t let her get away!” Luna ran as fast as she could and dived out of one of the windows. Several guards looked out of the now shattered window.

“Sir, nopony could survive a fall like that. She’s dead.” commented one of the guards, glancing out the window towards the terrible drop.
Landcastra knew different. He knew Luna was no ordinary pony, but she was useless, without a sister, an army, or even her full strength, she was nothing more than a bug. He merely smirked, turning back and trotting over to Celestia.“You see, now only you and Cadence remain, and I know that you’ll both break soon enough.” He let out a laugh.
--

Outside, beyond the high walls of the castle, Luna landed with a thud into a thicket of bushes, her body racked with blood and cuts from the glass as she slowly crawled from the bush, huffing as she felt her body weaken, but knowing she could not give up.

“We....must find somepony...We cannot do this alone...but...where? The elements are gone, the guards are in disarray....what can we do?”
Canterlot was not safe. She had to leave, she had to now... but where? Where it was safe for the princess with her home now engulfed in flames?
Luna shut her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her mind for a teleport spell. There was only once place she could go one place she could hide.

The Everfree.

She would have to find somepony to help...but who...who would be strong enough, willing enough, insane enough....to help the princess against a power that could even trump the elements and Celestia? She had to find somepony,but where?

Comments

[Battle154]

Hmm. I'll track for now. I would like to help Luna.

[hailspider]

Even if it was written before Season Four, it was posted after. That excuse does not hold up. Add the Alternate Universe tag.

[cajunbrony25]

5450557

no need for hostility... sorry

[The Psychopath]

5450573 Riiiight. Don't listen to that guy. No need to add that tag simply because the tree of harmony isn't in there, otherwise every single story on this site would need that tag. Said tag only applies to stories where there are MASSIVE differences, such as other ponies being chosen as the elements or there being a war between factions for Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia. What I have seen so far denotes it as being a normal version of Equestria.

You seem to have bit of purple prose here and there, but it isn't too extravagant that it's making my eyes melt into a goo of white wax. Secondly, change the color of Landcastra. I know now why the there are so many downvotes despite the excellence of this story. Please. I know you wanted his colors to be like that, but you have to change it or it will cost you dearly. I can PM you the reasons if need be.

[cajunbrony25]

5450794

do so please.

[The Psychopath]

5450803 Also, I insist that you remove the AU tag.

[cajunbrony25]

5450808

done... er.. how dose one PM on this site?

[The Psychopath]

5450814 Go on someone's page, look at the nav bar next to the profile pic, then click on 'mail'.